Have you ever needed a job so badly that you took said job without knowing all of the details? That’s exactly what Miss Penelope Lumley has done. After graduating from the Swanburne Academy For Poor Bright Females, with no home to go to – for her parents are missing – she is encouraged strongly to apply for the Governess position at Ashton Place. Lady Ashton is so taken with her that Penelope is hired on the spot. What details did she miss? The children. They’ve, until recently, been living in the woods, raised by wolves. There’s a lot of barking, howling and squirrel chasing going on at Ashton Place.
Always full of optimism (or too much of it) Penelope refuses to give up on Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia. It turns out the children are very intelligent and sweet. The children hear a mysterious howling in the attic on the night of the full moon…and it’s not any of them. No, I’m not giving any spoilers!
London is full of all kinds of pirates and adventure. Pirates?!? Ms. Lumley and the children uncover clues to her past as well as learn of a curse on the children.
In book three, Miss Lumley and the children venture into the woods to rescue a runaway ostrich, and the children show Penelope where they lived before they were brought to Ashton Place. Of course this leaves more questions than answers. Who is leaving neatly wrapped sandwiches in the woods for the children? Will a seance solve the mystery of what happened to the former Lord Ashton?
In the fourth installment, Miss Lumley is being honored at the Swinburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, but when she arrived she learns that the school is under new control and the mystery of Penelope’s missing parents along with the true identities of the Incorrigibles deepens.
In the most recent book, Lord Ashton decides to take a holiday at the shore, and Miss Lumley and the Incorrigible children are asked to come along. Penelope is excited to see an old friend, and possibly solve one of the lingering mysteries about the children. Unfortunately, the Ashtons aren’t the only family on holiday.
Can you tell that I love these books? They aren’t for everyone many kids miss the humor, but for the right student they are a jackpot. The last book was so good, I was sure I had all the winding, twining mysteries figured out, and the Maryrose Wood smacked me upside the head with a new mystery! I am waiting for the next book, due out later this year.
